Emperor Filippo
'Filippo Ferdinand di Savoy-Bulvaria '(2 March, 1764 - Present) is presently the Emperor of Bulvaria, beginning his reign in late 1779. He also serves as the Camerlengo in the Catholic Church, therefore making him a Cardinal. He had unexpectedly became the heir apparent following his eldest brother's sudden death in 1778 and his father's death only a year later. His reign is marked by the reversal of his predecessor's conservative policy; Filippo abolished taxes for poorer people, gave funding for universities, and discontinued public executions. Reign of Emperor Ferdinand II - Count of Maremma Born the second son of then Crown Prince Charles, Filippo was made the Count of Maremma from birth. He was born during the reign of his grandfather, Ferdinand II. His birth was widely celebrated within the Bulvarian court, being the son of the heir apparent. Filippo was not expected to receive the throne, being the second son of the Crown Prince and was therefore given to the catholic church in order to be raised as a cleric. Despite being at the age of three, the count was given to a monastery within the Empire to be given a basic training about the teachings of Christ. Reign of Charles IX - Duke of Lucca At the age of four, Emperor Ferdinand II had died from a stoke, therefore creating Filippo's father Emperor. By practice, this had created Filippo the Duke of Lucca, being the second son of the Emperor. Following his education at the monastery, Filippo had sought for further education from the Collegio Romano and received his doctorate in Canon Law and Theology while at the age of 14. He had skipped ordinate as a priest and directly became the Archbishop of Florence, the primary diocese of Bulvaria. Emperor Charles, who had wished for his son to become a Cardinal of the Church greatly, had given over 250,000 Lira in order to have his son become a Cardinal, which he did receive. After years of work within the church, the Pope had created Filippo the Camerlengo of the College of Cardinals. In November of 1778, Crown Prince Charles had died from falling off a horse during a parade, causing internal bleeding, that had unknowingly been occurring for days prior to his death. This had created the Duke of Lucca the heir presumptive to the Empire of Bulvaria. Personal Reign - His Most Eminent and Imperial Majesty The Emperor On the 30th of December, Emperor Charles IX had died from pneumonia at the age of 32 due to riding on horseback for a long period of time during rain. One of the first acts committed by the new Emperor was setting tax rates remarkably low for those with little money, and also abolishing serfdom, which had been around since the creation of the Empire. Due to the low tax rate, the Empire then focused on selling goods in foreign ports. Public executions were discontinued by the Emperor. The Emperor is reported to have stated that they are a cruel way to strike fear into citizens, an action only an autocrat would do. This decision was not welcomed by many of the populace, however the greeting of this policy was not harsh, and was later accepted. Conquest of Modena and Reggio Tensions between the Duchy of Modena and Reggio and Bulvaria had arisen in March of 1780 due to the Duchy's request to marry the Emperor's niece, who was only four year of age at that time. Due to this, the Duchy of Modena and Reggio had planned for an invasion of Florence, and later the rest of Bulvaria. Unaware that the Bulvarian Empire had a larger force than the Duchy's, Modena and Reggio had set out to invade Florence. Due to a spy network set up in Modena, the Empire was able to apprehend the plans for the invasion, therefore giving the Empire enough time to meet up with the invading force. The forces had met up near the outskirts of Bologna. With only 10,000 Modena and Reggio soldiers against the Bulvarian 30,000, the Modena and Reggio forces were quickly defeated at the Battle of San Lazzaro. The Emperor himself presided over the battle and had commanded the Bulvarian forces himself. Following the battle, the Bulvarian army had set out to invade Modena, and therefore taking the entire duchy. Due to all the Duchy's forces being defeated at the Battle of San Lazzaro, there was little defence at Modena, causing the army to take the city and the region.__NEWSECTIONLINK__